Industry News by Nemesis

Villagers Anxious as Zim Plans Diamond Exploration in Penhalonga

Villagers in Penhalonga, Zimbabwe are “worried” following reports that there could be deposits of kimberlite diamonds in the area, Daily News reports.

Officials from the State-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) visited Penhalonga recently and convened a meeting with residents to discuss their intention to carry out exploration work.

However, Daily News reported that villagers were dreading that “the experiences at Marange could be repeated in their community”.

"We are still in panic mode after we were told that there are diamonds in our community. What happened in Marange is still fresh in our minds,” said a villager Max Bwawo.

"Most people lost their sources of live livelihood and we feel this can also happen to us." Thousands of people were said to have lost their lives when government unleashed the army to drive out illegal diamond miners in 2006.

Harare, however, denied the charges, but that did not stop the Kimberley Process from suspending trade in Marange diamonds until November 2011.

Marange villagers were also later re-located to Arda Transau in Odzi to pave way for mining operations, but the majority of them never received full compensation.